The Anal Planner Updates

Is it really November 30th?  "I won't panic...I won't panic....I can get everything done!"  When I heard that the weather was going to be dark and rainy today I decided I would seize the day by doing lots of administrative preparations, put up Christmas decorations, do laundry, etc.  My age must be catching up with me.  David and I were out last night until after midnight and I woke up this morning feeling hungover (even though I don't drink) and crabby.  It took me 3 cups of coffee to feel enough energy to go to the petstore and buy cat food. 

I managed to finish my Foster Home "Frequently Asked Questions" information sheet and set up a spreadsheet to keep track of foster cats and foster homes.  To me, organization is the key to success.  I'm definitely a "planner".  Rarely, will I "swing by" the local movie theatre to see what's playing.  I need to actually look at the list and show up at an assigned time.  Needless to say, it drove me crazy that I wasn't doing all the things I had planned to do today.  Even the breakfast dishes are in the sink and I'm about to start dinner! 

Kirstie A, who is one of my blog readers was kind enough to send me an email with a logo idea.  It's funny that she had the same reservations about my logo that I did.  There was something not quite right with the cat!  On her own, she sent me a new logo and I absolutely LOVE it.  So I'm re-introducing my logo:

Seriously!  How cute is the cat on this logo??  Love it! Love it!  Thank you so much Kirstie for doing this for me!  I'm thrilled!!!

Thursday, I'm meeting with a friend who has offered to designed the Forever Home Cat Rescue website.  It's a huge job, but Brandon knows his stuff.  :)

Best of all - I'm meeting a WONDERFUL couple tomorrow night who want to adopt "Ozwald" from the shelter.  Ozwald has been having a tough time lately and has been there too long.  I'm really excited about this adoption!

Tonight?  A good night's sleep...ZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz 

A *Joy*- Filled Day

As predicted, I didn't sleep well last night.  But I went to sleep knowing that I would rescue "Joy" in the morning!  I could hardly wait to hop in the car and head out to get my girl. 

Her cage card read:  "Hold" or "PTS"  (Put to sleep)  Not for our Joy:

 Imagine my surprise when she WALKED out of the cage!  She definitely wasn't feeling great, but she knew something good was going to happen.  :)  I drove Joy 80 minutes to a veterinarian far North of the city.  As I type this, she's being examined and has a HUGE fluffy towel to sleep on.  Hurray!

I also rescued "Rusty" today:

I received a phone call from a another rescue.  They had an adopter looking for a 4 month old kitten and "did I have anything to fit the bill at the shelter?"  "Hell yes, I do!"  I drove into Toronto with Rusty this morning and met a VERY excited new Mom.  Rusty flopped over in her lap purring.  It was love at first sight. 

Tonight, David and I are going to dinner and the theatre with our (nice) neighbours.  They just adopted a dog from a rescue and it's been really special getting to know them with "Rescue" as the common denominator.  I'm exhausted, but gulping sipping my coffee quickly with hope to not fall asleep during Fiddler on The Roof tonight. 

Thank you to all involved.  Today has truly been a day filled with Joy!

"JOY" An Emergency Plea!

I had truly an amazing rescue day today, but have found that the events pertaining to the rescue need to wait while I try to find emergency placement for a sweet girl named "Joy".

At some point in her sad life, somebody put a collar on Joy.  She must've been desperate to get out of the collar, because she fit her left front paw into the collar, where it lodged into her armpit.  There the collar stayed until it grew painfully into her skin. 

(if you're squeamish, please read no further - graphic pictures ahead)

I can't imagine how much pain she must be feeling.  Her leg isn't broken,  but the hole under her arm needs to be cleaned and sutured.  I wanted to rescue her today so badly, but with a new rescue like mine, I am fearful to knowingly take cats that might be so expensive to treat. 

Instead, I'm asking for an emergency rescue of this darling little girl.  She seemed fine with other cats at the shelter (hissed at a big Tom cat...lol).  She walks gingerly, so you know she must be in pain. 

If you can help Joy, please let me know or alert the rescue you are affiliated with to help her. 

I'm going to have trouble sleeping until this girl is rescued.  Please link to this post!

Jumping Into the Deep End

The leaps that I'm taking seem to be getting bigger and bigger!  I'm please to announce that I've rescued my first two cats for Forever Home Cat Rescue:


Then I couldn't help but rescue THIS little girl too:



I didn't realize how tense I was until I got to the vet's office and looked in the mirror to fix my hair.  My face looked positively *pinched*.  I can only pray that the vet doesn't come back and say that Magda needs dental, or something is wrong with the little Tortie.  I did my best to choose cats that would fit in beautifully in the foster homes and are adoptable.

I'm very grateful to the two foster Moms that stepped forward to rescue these two cats.  They know with the holidays AND a new rescue, it could take a little while to get these cuties adopted.

On another exciting note, I've finally finished my logo for Forever Home Cat Rescue!  I hope you like it - making a logo isn't as easy as it sounds!  (remember - this isn't the banner - just the logo)

I took the leap into the deep end today and I couldn't be happier or more frightened.  I feel extremely responsible for the little lives that I rescued today and for the foster homes who had faith in me enough to take the jump with me. 

As I typed this last paragraph, I received a phone call from another new foster Mom wanting to join in this new adventure with me. 

Looks like I'm going back to the shelter!!!  :)

Forging Ahead

Everytime I hear of a problem or issue within another rescue I begin to feel a frozen knot in the pit of my stomach.  All it takes is hearing idle chit-chat about a sick cat and huge veterinary bills, or a cat that has to be moved due to a personality problem - and I feel sick to my stomach.  Regardless, it's the part of rescue that nobody likes and certainly frightens me the most about starting my own rescue.

I'm no stranger to cat-related problems.  It happens to EVERY rescue.  I know how to deal with them.  But my resources will be limited for a while and that's the part that I find a bit paralyzing.

Just when I thought I was going to have some kind of menopausal freak out about the whole thing,  I found an old video that I never posted here.  I don't know why I didn't post it, but I had goosebumps when I watched it.  You may have to watch it twice.  (The cat has long been rescued, so don't worry!)  ***Listen to the dogs in the background beginning at about 13 seconds into the video.***


I don't believe in coincidences.  Just as I was feeling weak and cowardly, I found that video.  That video reminded me in so many ways why I need to keep forging ahead. 

"Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow."  ~Dan Rather

Gratitude

It's funny how a small thing like getting a phone call from the Charities Directorate could make me leap for joy.  All they wanted to know was my birthdate which was missing from the application.  I was just happy that they received my frickin' application!  I wanted to exclaim:  "YOU HAVE MY APPLICATION! YAY!"  I wanted to tell them to "hurry please", but instead I said "thank you" in my most professional voice.    The Charities Directorate rep quickly hung up the phone; probably grateful that I didn't ask any further questions about processing etc.

My 19 year old son has been diligently job hunting for two months.  He's off to school in September 2011, so obviously wanted to work in the interim.  He's a handsome, well spoken, good guy, so I was surprised when the job offers weren't rolling in for him.  Since his car accident a few months ago,  I've been reluctantly sharing my car horrified.Today he had an opportunity to go to a job fair, at precisely the same time I was due at the shelter for an adoption. 

I hate having to choose between helping my charming son (who often has a bad attitude about his mother) and doing an adoption at the shelter.  Because quite frankly, my kid would normally lose out.  Gratefully, I called my friend Kathleen who quickly agreed to meet the adopter at the shelter for me so that my son could go out and be a productive member of society. 

Together, they chose one of MY favourites and one of Kathleen's favourites!  TWO cats found homes today:

Yay for Randy!

Yay for Bennie!

Another great day for me and the cats.  On the eve of the American Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for so much that listing it here seems boastful. 

One more thing?  (My son has a second) interview at one of the stores he interviewed with today)  

Foiled by Technology!

Please forgive the delay in posting this!  I came home to find my internet turned off due to some "trojan worm" or some kind of icky sounding thing.  The provider said it was nasty and I'm just now getting back online.  Part of me was relieved that I wasn't chained to emails today, and another part of me was pacing like a lion in a cage until I was back online.  Thank God there was nothing life-urgent with the cats that I needed to respond to in the interim. 

I'm SO happy to report that "Dale" has been rescued today.  I saw the little guy while I was working with an adopter today and he looked awful.  His face was cut open in several places and swollen.  Thank heavens he was rescued.  I'm so grateful.  

I spent 3 hours at the shelter today working with one adopter and her darling 3 year old little boy.  Part of my job is to find the right match for this family, but the other part is to insure that they don't get overwhelmed.  Despite my best efforts, she became overwhelmed and it became an agonizing choice for them.  (Thus the 3 hours!) They finally decided on "Marv":

If she hadn't taken Marv home - I would've.  He was the sweetest, gooey, 8 month old dollface!!!  He literally went limp in my arms.  I didn't want to hand him over.  Hahaha :)

Thought you might a completely delightful before and after picture:

Doesn't Ernest have a pitiful little face?  Within an hour, Ernest's new picture arrived:

Hardly looks like the same boy!!!!  Doesn't he look happy in his Daddy's arms?  He hadn't met Ernest until after the adoption.  Looks like they're BOTH pretty happy, eh?  :)

I'm terrified that the internet is going to shut down again before I can push PUBLISH on the blog post.  I think I have the problem handled, but it's left me feeling uneasy. 

Tomorrow, I'm meeting a really nice sounding young lady at the shelter who is interested in adopting TWO cats!  I think I have JUST the cats..... (wahoo!)

Ernest & Dale

Last week I received an email from a fellow rescuer who asked me if there were any Maine Coon kittens at the shelter.  She has a friend looking for one, and (in typical rescuer style) was horrified to find this lady had been calling breeders.   At that time, there weren't even any look-alikes, but I kept the name in my files.

When Ernest was brought into the shelter, I thought of this lady:

Ernest was brought into the shelter as a stray.  He was SO SCARED in this picture, but settled in nicely.  He purr'd when I pet him and rubbed into my hand.  Purebred Maine Coon?  Probably not.  But he's 16 weeks of fluffy cuteness, so I called the adopter.  Tiina was lovely!  On my description and say-so, she wanted Ernest.  We met at the local Tim Horton's where she burst into tears as soon as she saw her new family member.   "How could anyone leave this kitten at a high kill shelter?"  She was incredulous. 

Maybe I've just become accustomed to the stupidity of others and it takes so much more to shock me these days.  Regardless, Ernest has a home!  :)

I've got another REALLY urgent plea.  "Dale" is not doing well in a shelter cage....well, watch the video and you'll see what I mean:


When I got to the shelter this morning, there was blood all over the cage from where he tore his feet on the bars.  His face has been broken open and was bleeding from pressing himself against the bars.  I feel as desperate and he looks to get him out of the cage.  When I picked him up, he put his paws around my neck.  I tried to lean him back into his cage and he wouldn't go.  I had to pry him off my neck. 

We both cried when I left.  I'm so worried that they're going to euthanize him tomorrow morning because he's so upset in his cage.  

I hate it when I'm doing something good like getting Ernest adopted, but leave with such a heavy heart over another cat.  Please help Dale. :(

Sheldon and A Happy Friday

David took the day off today to do some kind of male prostate roto-rooter or something like that.  I find it amusing that men feel the need to take a full day off for that sort of thing.  I'm happy to report, that I had a far more enjoyable day than my husband:


Yes, I rescued little Sheldon today!  I think the best part of this video is watching my two hooligan tabbies swiping at each other in the background.  :)

I have a wonderful volunteer driver taking Mr. Sheldon to his new home, which will no doubt turn out to be a forever home.  Thank you Jennifer!!!  Many thank you's to those who rallied to help Sheldon.  He's quite a little character. 

More good news to report:  Forever Home Cat Rescue has received it's first monetary donation!  This was really exciting for me.  I needed to establish a "pipeline" of money in order to begin rescuing and vetting cats in January.  Tomorrow, I'm going to my bank and open an account especially for the rescue.  (*insert nervous laugh here*) 

I'm starting to see some REAL changes happening at the shelter, thanks to the new manager over there.  They've changed their name from Animal Control to "Animal Services".  There's now a big sign on the shelter door entering the animal area, "We Want To Go Home!"  I started to cry when I saw it.   The changes are slow - lots of approvals need to happen first.  But they WILL happen and I'm so happy to be part of this change.

It was a good day....a really, really, good day.  Keep 'em coming! 

Blind Faith and an Urgent Plea

It feels like every day I take some kind of leap of faith towards opening my rescue within the next month and a half.  Some days are harder than others to take that leap. 

Any type of animal rescue has it's good days and bad days.  I've stayed in touch with many foster homes from the former rescue and have enjoyed their stories of their new cats saved and adjustment periods.  Sometimes the stories they tell are reminders of the not-so-great part about running a rescue.  Those are the stories that leave me in a state of anxiety.  But I keep pushing forward...

Today, I rented a postal box in my neighbourhood.  Oddly enough, the owner of the UPS store is involved with Ferret Rescue and told me there are two dog rescues that use the postal boxes.  Then she offered 3 months for free if I paid for 1 year up front.  Maybe it was a sign :)

Sooo my new address:

Forever Home Cat Rescue

115 George St.  Box #438

Oakville,  ON  L6J0A2

AN URGENT PLEA:

Kim called me yesterday and asked me for help with a TINY kitten - about 4 weeks old.  He came into the shelter alone - no Mommy:

This little guy needs to get out of there.  He's alone with nobody to love him or make sure that he's eating properly.  He must wonder what happened to his siblings and his Mommy.   If you can help him, please let me know.  I'm naming him "Sheldon". 

Hello Dolly!

Ever since I've posted a cat rescue phone number on Petfinder, I've been bombarded with phone calls from the public wanting to surrender their cats.  I've been getting 3-4 calls per day!  Most of the time, they just leave their name,  "Hi, this is Mrs. Jones - please call me at yada yada yada..."  I'm always hopeful it's somebody who wants to adopt from the shelter.  It's so deflating to hear some lame excuse about dumping a cat. 

I think what I'm going to do is start duplicating the efforts at the shelter and post some of the pictures on my Petfinder site.  Maybe the additional exposure will help.  I'll only post the cats that I know so that I can give a brief bio too.  At least my Petfinder site won't be totally bare until January! 

I decided to call the Charities Directorate yesterday to see if they received my application package.  I could hear the clerk *click* *click* on the computer.  "Sorry.  It's not in the system yet."  Bah!  (Be patient Beth....be patient.)

There was another cat at the shelter that really spoke to my heart.  Her name is "Dolly":

When Dolly first arrived at the shelter, the staff thought she was a VERY OLD senior.  After looking at her teeth, they realized that this sweet little muffin is only about 1 year old.  Dolly was starving.  I've seen a lot of cats who are "boney", but nothing like Dolly.  I don't know how she is still alive.  Dolly is a survivor!  She is not only alive, but purring, kneading and will headbutt your hand.  Even the Animal Control officer that found her loved her and wants to see her rescued.  She's such a gentle, sweet soul.

If you can help Dolly - please let me know right away.  The euthanasia days are now Tuesday and Thursday, so Dolly may not have much time left.

Damn.  I wish these things didn't hurt so much.

UPDATE:  DOLLY IS BEING RESCUED TODAY!!! Whoopie!!!!!!!!

Just Another Monday

I'm still feeling pretty rotten. I think I was sick this time last year. It's nothing earth shattering - just a cold, but it's certainly left me feeling less than my happy self.  So when I had an opportunity to go to the shelter this morning to rescue a black kitten, I decided to jump on it. Sometimes pretending like you're feeling well makes you feel better.  I'm happy to say "Falcor" is out of the shelter:

I ran across a cat that really tore at my heart strings. I wish I had brought a camera and took a video of this guy. His name is Teddy:

"Teddy" looks like a pretty friendly normal lookin' cat.  But I swear - I don't think his voice ever changed!  He sounds like a kitten!!!  It's the most endearing thing I've ever seen.   I kept hearing this frantic Mew that only a kitten could make but I couldn't find where the sound was coming from.  Until I walked up to Teddy's cage!  OMG...I love this guy!  He's such a sweet cat - already neutered too!  I'd probably want to name him "Wimpy"  :)

Then I met a very sweet guy named "Gill":

Gill only has half a tail!  He was literally sitting in front of his age with both paws casually hanging out of the bars.  What a character!! He looked like a prison inmate that was watching the action from his cell. 

Finally, the shelter has stopped euthanizing 3 times per week and is now on their winter Tuesday/Thursday euthanasia days.  It's a sign that things are slowing down and everybody can take a deep breath.  It's a time where some of the adults - like Teddy and Gill -  have a chance of getting out of the shelter that otherwise would've been put down. 

From now until after Christmas, I really feel the push to get as many adult cats out as I can.  I want them to have a home (even if it's temporary) for Christmas. 

A Friday Montage

Boredom set in early today.  Maybe it was the gloomy day.  Maybe it was because I was sick.  But it was pretty dull around the Turner house today.

I'm happy to announce that I've been approved through Petfinder.com and now have a VERY simple Petfinder presence.  Since there are no cats for adoption, the only phone calls I've been receiving are from people who have either found a cat or want to surrender a cat.  It doesn't take long, does it?   I've asked for new volunteer foster homes beginning in January, so hopefully we'll be able to start rescuing soon.  :)

I have a confession to make.  Anybody who is married or living with a partner might be able to relate to what I'm about to confess.

Last night at 3 a.m, our VERY old dog "Maggie" started whining to go outside.  She went back and forth - first to me....then to David.  She'd periodically give a high pitched YIP!, but we basically both ignored her.  I ignored her because I was sick and felt that David needed to get out of our warm bed and let her outside.   Somewhere at 4 a.m, in a huff I whipped back the covers, put on a robe and trudged downstairs to let Maggie outside to pee.  She came back dutifully, and I decided to use the washroom while I was up.   

To my horror, my poor old dog must've had some pretty urgent tummy troubles at 3 a.m, because there in front of the toilet was the BIGGEST pile of diarrhea I had ever seen.  She must've walked all around the washroom letting it drip.  It was awful and I felt terribly guilty for ignoring her for an hour.  But maybe not guilty enough, because I used another washroom in the house and tiptoed back to bed, leaving the mound of diarrhea in the washroom floor.

David gets up at 5 a.m. to go to work.  I knew he'd be the first to see it.  I heard him turn off the alarm clock and pull back the covers.  Something I've heard him do hundreds of times in our marriage.  He walked into our washroom and I could hear him stop.  He sighed.  He coughed.  I buried my head into the pillow to stifle a laugh.  I could hear him pull tissue after tissue out of the box of Kleenex.  The toilet must've flushed a dozen times. 

I feel guilty.  I really do.  I've been bored all day and the poor guy had to clean up a HUGE pile of poop before leaving for work at 6 a.m..  Me?  I had my nails done, took cold medicine, and read a book by the fire.  I suck.

Here's the evidence of my boredom:


Looks like I have some making up to do this weekend.  French Maid outfit might be coming out.  :)

Pink and White

Last night I felt it - the chills, a sore throat and body aches.  I immediately took some Advil and woke up feeling slightly better.  I've always felt that if I stay quiet the first day of a cold, it'll minimize the severity and length.  We'll see. 

But you're in luck!  I thought I'd share with you a few "after" pictures received of the the little white angel who was recently rescued:

When the pictures came in from the foster Mom, I think my knees went weak. You'd have to be in a horrible dark emotional place to not smile when you see his "after" pictures:

Ohhhhh....those pink feet.....

I'm feeling better all ready!

Educating the Public (A Rant)

I really miss having that little firecracker Tortie kitten in the house.  She was such a piece of joy around here!  As promised, here's the video of her when she first arrived at my house:  (Please ignore the blue towel on the rack in the background.  I think I'm the only one in the house who knows how to properly hang up a towel.  Men!)



Because my cat rescue phone line is linked with the shelter's Petfinder website, I occasionally get phone calls from the public who should be directing them to the city shelter.  Today, I answered the phone and a very professional sounding man was on the other end.  He had lost his cat and there was a cat on the shelter Petfinder site that looked like him.  We chatted a few minutes and he sounded educated and sincere - until - he told me his cat wasn't neutered because he "wouldn't want his balls chopped off, so why do this to his cat." 

It's hard to believe people still exist like this.  He sounded like such a neanderthal!  I decided to politely tell him how many kittens die in that shelter every year.   He said that he and his neighbour wanted to "breed" their two cats because they were both "good lookin' black and white cats who could have some good lookin' kittens."  I gave him the usual lecture, but I doubt that it did any good.  It hurt me to think of how many black and white kittens died in the shelter over the summer because nobody wanted them.  Maybe some were the offspring of his own cat.

 Honestly?  I'm STILL angry and I spoke with this idiot 6 hours ago.  How could somebody who otherwise sounded so educated, be so ignorant? 

As usual, I'm preachin' to the choir, but it feels good to write it out.  Hard to believe I managed to write this blog post without any profanity. 

From the Nursery

It was a VERY happy rescue day for the two kittens that I wrote about yesterday. I posted an urgent plea for them, and Lisa came forward to rescue the 4 week old white angel.

I met Lisa at a local Tim Horton's/Wendy's (where else?)this morning. Watching Lisa's face as she pulled that fluffy little white baby out of the cat carrier was too cute! Seriously...It was like watching a child open the best Christmas present ever. :) Lisa took the baby to the vet at her own expense and sent me an updated email:

"Eyes cleaned, bottle feed 10 cc kitten milk replacer and 9 cc watered down A/D via syringe and she PIGGED it down. I pottied her and she peed and peed and peed and then peed some more. Vet says she looks solid and it was ok to use the antibiotic eye ointment on her, so I did. She is now kicked back and sleeping in the bathtub on a blanket.

She is so adorable...and LOUD!" lol

I was really sweating out rescuing the Tortie baby this morning. The rescue that I had hoped would accept her into their program turned down the foster parent's request to take her. So for a few hours, I sat on pins and needles until I received an email from Emily offering to give her a 2 week quarantine period (at her expense) so that the rescue would feel more confident in her health to take her into their program. PERFECT!

The 6 week old Tortie is a pitiful looking little thing. I decided to take her to my own vet before going to Emily's house tonight. Dr. S was hesitant to say that she had been abused, but I could see it in his face - there was no other possible explanation for her condition.

Her ears are heavily scarred from *something*. I was initially afraid they were hematomas but the ears had healed and were left with scar tissue. Her tiny little head had a HUGE scar down the middle of it. Her upper lip was also scarred - we thought it might be a cleft pallet, but gratefully that wasn't the case. It also appeared that somebody had shaved her or used a marker to write on her, but it was really hard to tell.

Basically, Dr. S dewormed her and said she was as healthy as could be!

I've spent a good portion of the afternoon kissing on her and playing with her. I named her "Pansy". She's like a little Wolverine - biting, growling, running, playing, climbing up my leg. I took a video of her today, but Youtube is obviously having some technical difficulties today. I'll try to post it later if it becomes available.

I'm crossing my fingers that these babies stay healthy.  There are quite a few people with their hearts out on a limb for these two - including my own. 

....And the Cradle Will Fall...

I received two urgent pleas from Kim at the shelter this afternoon.  I hate getting pictures like this, because I want to throw caution to the wind, jump in my car and run to the shelter.  Her email as follows:

"She has obviously been not treated well. She has little hematoma's on her ears (from either someone constantly flicking her ears or trauma to her head) and a possible cleft palate (part of her top lips is missing). She is about 5 weeks old and eating well. SUPER affectionate and all purrs!"

Then she sends me another picture of this sweet white angel that came in a few hours ago.  She's only 4 weeks old. 

I want to kiss her little pink nose and say, "Where is your Mommy?"  Kim said she's eating well, and "sucking the wet food".  :(  

Poor little lamb. 

UPDATE at 6:45 pm Monday:  WHITE KITTEN HAS PLACEMENT AND IS BEING RESCUED TOMORROW!  WE STILL NEED PLACEMENT FOR THE TORTIE BABY!

After all the hard work yesterday, the cycle of cats coming in and out of the shelter never seems to end.  I'd gladly give up my volunteer job if it means that I'm not needed any longer due to a lack of cats that need help. 

If anybody knows anyone that can help either one, please let me know.  They need to get out of the shelter tomorrow. (Tuesday) 

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but how can I turn away?  I keep telling myself, "If only Forever Home Cat Rescue were ready to go...."   Ugh.  Petfinder contacted me today and my veterinary reference letter has been faxed.  All I need is my Charitable status and I'm good to go.

I'm going to lose sleep over these two babies tonight....I just know it. 

Very Lucky Seven

Any time that I can get one cat out of the shelter, I consider it a "good rescue day".  But when I can rescue SEVEN in one day, I call that a "GREAT rescue day". 

I had the privilege of meeting two families at the shelter today each who wanted to adopt a cat. 

Family #1 was a really wonderful couple who agonized over which cat to adopt.  They ended up with one of the most grateful cats I've ever seen:

My jaw hit the ground when the husband said, "I love black cats."  I think I stammered.  :)  I called Kyle and his wife later tonight and they said that our newly rescued handsome black boy LOVED their Standard Poodle and was "sacked out" on their bed purring and kneading.  (I think I'm still smiling)

Family #2 was a really special single lady that adopted two cats from me last year.  She decided she really wanted another Tortie girl and fell madly in love with "Sherra" who had been abandoned and quickly became a shelter favourite:

Imagine my surprise when she went to "Mya"s cage:

Mya has been at the shelter since early July.  She is insanely sweet and had only recently felt depressed.  The adopter really wanted to see if Sherra and Mya would like each other, so we took them into the dog holding area (no dogs were there) to see what would happen.  At first I scoffed..."A Tabbico and a Tortie in the same room?? Pshaww!!"  But the girls were instant friends.  They even walked side by side around the room together for comfort. 

She took them BOTH home.  :) 

The rest of the day was a blurr!  I'm happy to report that my favourite little boy Batman has been rescued thanks to some creative foster parents.  One foster Mom told me that she could foster Batman, but couldn't give him a 2 week quarantine period from her cats.  Another foster Mom wrote me and said that she couldn't foster him, but could give Batman a 2 week quarantine period.  I put them in contact with each other and....Yahooooo....Batman was rescued!  Thank you, Renee, Cindy and Matt for putting this together!

THEN.....I was able to rescue my favourite tabby boy "Chase":

I was so excited when Kelly called me and said, "Beth, I can foster Chase!"  Kelly really put her heart on the line, since she recently adopted her own foster cat.  Taking in another foster wasn't an easy decision for Kelly and I'm so appreciative.  Kelly's going to find out what having a "tabby love fest" is all about!

"Logan" is another love sponge who had been at the shelter far too long:

I brought him to my house this afternoon and left him in my washroom until his new foster Mom was available.  I inadvertently forgot to tell David that Logan was in there.  I could hear David in the washroom saying in a rather high voice,  "Hey buddy....do I know you?  Then there was silence.  Then I heard him shout (sounding a little more desperate), "Beth!!!!  Do I know this guy in here????"  (Have I said how much I love my husband?)  My friend Michelle has never fostered a tabby boy before, so she has a VERY special tabby Logan love fest in store for her!

Last, but certainly not least, I received an email this morning from Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue who asked me to pick up "Conner" for her:

This picture doesn't do Conner justice!  He's so sweet and handsome!  I'm guessing he'll be adopted quickly.  His eyes looked at me with such appreciation. 

I realize this isn't a beautifully written blog post tonight, but I'm hoping you can read by the fluff to count 1, 2, 3,4,5,6, SEVEN cats rescued today.  I really can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful Sunday:  Rescuing cats, and meeting the people that made it possible for me to rescue them.   Thank you all so very, very much for making me smile today.  :)

Friday Videos!

I was out of bed this morning while it was still dark today.  (I know....no sympathy from most of you!)  So much to do and so little time to do it!

Debbie from Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue was over the moon happy over the donations that came in to help Spritzer!  (Me too!)  It's a huge thing when smaller rescues take cats like Spritzer who need dental work.  As some of you know, dental work isn't inexpensive and your donations allowed Spritzer to be rescued:


As I type this, Spritzer is now in a loving foster home and his dental surgery has been scheduled for early next week.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Y'all are going to be surprised that I did not come home with that adorable tabby kitten.  I held and kissed him, but knew that bringing another cat into my home for a possible extended period of time wasn't a good idea for my guys.  It killed me to leave him there, but I'll do my best to get him out. 

I walked into another cat room at the shelter to hear horrible desperate crying from a young cat.  I know the sound.  It usually means it's a cat that isn't doing well in a cage environment and it's a plea for help.  I walked up and down the aisle and quickly found the little guy who was so upset:


Be still my heart!  These kind desperate guys KILL me!  He's about 5 months old and adorable!  If I rescued him I'd name him "Batman".  He's not doing well in that cage, so I'm praying somebody comes forward to help him. 

"Nobody can do everything....but everybody can do something..."  I need to keep telling myself that.

Predictability

Today was one of those "git 'er done" sort of days.  I suppose everybody has those days and I'm grateful I'm not one of the 9-5 working set that can only manage errands on the weekends. 

With great trepidation , I mailed the package to become a registered charity.  I marched deliberately to the postal box, but by the time I arrived I ended up with shaking hands and almost turned back to go home with my package in hand.  I dropped it in with a "what will be, will be" attitude and walked home - my stomach churning.  There's a fairly good chance that I'll be turned down.  Canadian Charities Directorate perfers to give charitable status to those who are currently in business.  I'm hopeful that my years in rescue and serving on boards - here in Canada and California - will account for something. 

I'm happy to report that shortly after I blogged about "Spritzer" yesterday, I received a happy email from Debbie at Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue saying that she'll be happy to rescue my orange and white fluffy boy!  The dental work is going to be expensive, so I really appreciate any donations to go directly to Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue - Click Here to Donate.  Forgotten Ones isn't a huge rescue, but they're very reputable and do great work!  Debbie rescues quite a few cats from this shelter, so I'm always happy to help her. 

Tomorrow, I'm rescuing Spritzer from the shelter and getting a much needed "root job".  Why is it that I just know it'll be a good day when my hair looks good? 

I can only hope that I can walk away from a certain brown tabby kitten at the shelter tomorrow...

I shouldn't be so predictable, but I am.  Does this guy have "Beth" written all over him? 

Last night, I had a lovely couple come over and meet my foster guy "Doodle".  They left without him because they want to think things over and were worried about their cat Priscilla would think about Doodle...yada...yada...yada...

Of course, my first thought was when they called,  "Oh boy...if Doodle gets adopted I can rescue Chase..."  

I have no shame. 

3 Ladies and An Urgent Plea

I woke up this morning to find that my blog had disappeared and a dozen emails from friends alerting me.  Three years worth of work went *poof* thanks to a hacker.  Fortunately, Blogger knew that there was unusual activity and temporarily shut it down.  Obviously, it's back up and running!  Whew!! 

I met a wonderful lady named Tracey yesterday, along with her two daughters.  They wanted to adopt a calico to add to their Calico family of 3.  She's a dog groomer by trade and lives very close to me.  Like so many people who come to the shelter for the first time, they were overwhelmed by the number of cats.  Unfortunately, the cages were already marked for euthanasia this morning which added to the anguish of choosing a cat. 

The family knew immediately that the would take "Bella":

She curled into their arms like a little calico blob and they laughed out loud as she immediately went limp like a ragdoll in relief.  Bella has a home! 

The surprise of the day was when this family fell in love with a 1 year old rowdy orange and white guy.  I couldn't find his picture of the shelter Petfinder site, but he was a riot!  He licked their faces like a dog and there was NO WAY he was going back into that cage.  He had a home too!

I was excited to hear that they wanted to foster!  Unfortunately, since my rescue isn't ready yet, I referred them to another rescue.  Whomever they foster with will be fortunate - they're awesome!


AN URGENT PLEA!

As I mentioned, the cages were already marked for euthanasia.  It's always horrifying, because the cats have no idea this will be there last night alive.  I held and kissed some of them before sadly putting them back.  Maybe for some, it's the only time they experienced somebody loving them.  Very painful for me.  I stopped when I came across a big, sweet, fluffy orange and white boy named "Spritzer".  His cage was marked for euthanasia.  I held him and he purr'd and purr'd.  The vet tech told me that he needs some dental work and he's about 6-7 years old.  She didn't think anybody would want to rescue him because of the cost of dental.  (I can certainly understand why she'd feel that way!)

They took him off the euthanasia list this morning as a favour to me.  They have given me until THIS Friday to find placement for Spritzer.  He's absolutely adorable and purrs the moment you pick him up.  He will need to have two teeth removed.  He's already been neutered and I kissed his little fluffy face until his fur was stuck in my lipstick. 

I'm hopeful that somebody can come forward to save Spritzer's life.  He will die Friday morning before the shelter opens.  So he really only has today and Thursday. 

Spritzer wants to live and he wants to be loved.  Don't we all?

Reaching Out

I was really happy to wake up this morning and find that the weekend's protest at the shelter was successful.   I guess it's hard to gauge what is successful in terms of a protest, but some hardworking, animal loving people showed up on a busy SPCA weekend and let folks know that what's happening at Animal Control is not acceptable:  See Article Here 

When I read the article, I was disappointed that the local newspaper out there once again gave a lukewarm representation of what really happens in that shelter.  When is The Spectator going to grow some balls and take a stand?  Where are words like "outrageous" or "city embarrassment"? 

I guess if I wanted something different to happen, I should've gotten my butt out to the shelter with a sign.  Because while these people were marching and being hassled by SPCA employees, I was probably reading a book by the fire. 

I'm still moving forward with my own rescue.  I'm halfway done filling out the forms to become a registered charity.  I feel it's the most responsible thing to do first.  Many starter rescues don't do this first - they do it as an afterthought, and this rescue will really need donations fairly quickly when we're fully up and running.  Hopefully, this will confirm the legitimacy of what I'm trying to accomplish by being registered as a charity. 

In the meantime, I've been fiddling with a website which has me frustrated and swearing.  Even the "Anybody can build a website" stuff has me pulling my hair and pushing the delete button more often than not.  Every morning I wake up and try to do SOMETHING with it, but I'm finding that it's more than I want to do, and it might be time to ask for help.  I should probably just hand the job over to somebody who wants to do it and move on to doing something more productive that I actually KNOW how to do!

I'm meeting a lovely sounding mother/daughter team at the shelter tomorrow.  They want to rescue a calico.  They already have 3 rescued calicos at home - one is 19 years old.  They sound so nice and - who knows, they could end up being my first foster family some day...or have a spare million dollars to donate, right? :)

I'll wrap up this blog post with a moment of cuteness from two of my own cats "Thomas" and "Willy".  Thomas used to walk around each day to each cat in the house and dip his head with hopes that SOMEBODY would lick the top of his head.  Thomas has finally found his head-licking buddy in Willy.  Every day, I find them spooning on my bed and the top of Thomas' head is always wet.  They both have "drunk eyes" and look completely sated. 

 I feel a little sleepy just looking at them on that white fluffy blanket. 

 Happy Monday!